Medicinal Use of Bergamot

Bergamot has long been known for its medicinal uses, but what is less known is that the strong essential oil of the bergamot fruit is far different from the teas made from the leaves and stems of the bergamot plant, though they each have their own medicinal values.

Types

• There are three types of bergamot; two are actually from the mint family, and one is a citrus fruit.

  Monarda didyma and Monarda fistulosa are called bergamot because they smell much like the bergamot orange. They are actually perennial flowering plants found throughout North America, and are also commonly known as bee balm, horsemint and Oswego tea.

  Citrus bergamia is the bergamot fruit that is most famous for giving Earl Grey tea its distinctive smell and flavor and for the popular bergamot essential oil. Bergamot is grown primarily in Italy, and can be identified by its orange-shaped yellow fruit.

History

• The earliest record of the medicinal use of the oil from the bergamot rind dates back to 1677, where it was used as German herbal remedy.

  Certain Native American tribes, including the BlackFeet, Oswego, Objibwe and Winnebago, recognized the many medicinal purposes of wild bergamot, and people still today use bergamot tea as natural remedy during cold and flu season.

Wild Bergamot

• Monarda fistulosa and monarda didyma are plants native to North America and are both commonly used as a poultice on cuts, scrapes and wounds to prevent infection, as wild bergamot is a natural antifungal and antibacterial. Because wild bergamot is a natural source of thymol (a natural antiseptic), it is also used as a mouthwash to treat mouth and throat infections.

  Interestingly enough, Native Americans used wild bergamot as a treatment for flatulence (gas).

Bergamot Orange

• The medicinal essential oil of the bergamot orange is expressed from the peel of the fruit and is used through diffusion or inhalation to treat a variety of ailments including depression, anxiety, colds, and upper respiratory problems.

  Use bergamot oil to treat acne, eczema, psoriasis, cold sores and to aid against infection setting into chicken pox sores as well as cuts and scrapes.

  Add bergamot oil to bath water to help with PMS, stress, tension, and vaginitis.

Warning

• Bergamot oil is photo-carcinogenic, meaning it enhances the damage the sun causes to your skin. Do not apply bergamot oil to your skin, either directly or through bath water, before going outdoors.